Brace



Patented Nov. 4, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATEN GFFHE.

WILLIAM G. BURBELL, or xnnxaxnn, ILLINOIS, Assmnon 1 THE GENERAL man- PRQOFING COMPANY, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

BRACE.

Appllication filed December 11, 1922. Serial No. 606,077.

To all whom z't may concern: I

Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. BURRELL,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Kankakee, in the county of Kankakee and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Braces, of

which the following is a full, clear, concise,

and exact description.

My invention relatesto devices for uniting 1 objects and is of particular service when embodied in braces'for uniting and strengthening the assemblage of floor joists or other objects.

The brace of my invention comprises diverging members formed of sheet metal.

When the invention is embodied in braces for uniting floor joists or the like, these members desirably cross at their mid portions, these mid portions being joined by 29 metal preferably integrally formed with the brace members. Each of the members of the brace is preferably angular in cross sec tion simulating an angle iron.

The ends of each brace member are de sirably angularly deflected to constitute ears to lie against the opposing faces of the joists, these ears desirably being provided with holes through which nails or other fastening devices may be passed.

plained by reference to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a complete brace constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, joists with which this brace is united, portions of other braces assembled with these joists, and a floor structure upon the joists being shown; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the brace illustrated .in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3 3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a plan view of a blank which is so shaped that the brace may be formed therefrom when the blank is suitably bent.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the different figures.

The brace illustrated includes the elongated members 1 and 2 that are crossed at their mid portions and are there united by a bridging piece 3 formed integrally with the members 1 and 2 out of the same piece of metal and slightly twisted to permit said til The invention will be more fully eX- u v D and crossing relation illustrated.

In order that the brace members may be strengthened they are provided with angular continuations 4 and 5 along their outer longitudinal edges, these angular extensions also being integrally formed with the brace members.

Any suitable means of attachment may be provided. for securing the brace members tothe objects that are to be assembled and strengthened thereby. As illustrated, this means resides in ears 6 that are formed at the outer ends of the brace members 1 and 2 and are directed to lie snugly against the joists 7 or other objects which. are united by the brace. formed with a hole 8 for the passage of any suitable fastening device therethrough such as the nails 9 which are shown as passing through theholes 8 into the joists 7.

Flat sheet metal is preferably employed in the production of the braces. Long strips are stamped out of the sheet metal to have the shape illustrated in Fig. 4. The metal strip there shown has two aligned longitudinal slits 10 that terminate short of each other at the middle of the strip and leave the bridging piece 3. These slits permit one-half of the metal strip to be twisted with respect to the other, the'bridging JlQCE, maintaining the unity of the two halves of the strip. In order that sufficient metal may be included in the bridging piece to enable the desired twisting thereof without impairing the structural shape of the resulting brace, transverse slits 11, margining the bridging piece, are formed at the inner ends of the slits 10 and communicate therewith. The transverse slits 11 are preferably employed in order that the planes in which the elongated members 1 and 2 are disposed may be as close aspossible, but the invention is not members to have the an ular or diverging to be thus restricted.

V Preferably before the brace members are twisted into their final relative positions they are bent along the longitudinal lines 12 and 13 to form the angular brace member portions 4 and 5. At any suitable stage in the process of formation the brace ears 6 are deflected along the transverse lines 14.

While I have herein shown and particularly described the preferred embodimentof Each of the ears maybe my invention I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction shown as changes may readily be made without d8- elongated members which cross at their mid.

portions and a bridging piece uniting said members where they cross and formed integrally therewith out of a piece of sheet metal, there being transverse slits margining the bridging piece to bring said members closer together, said members being bent along longitudinal lines to make them angular in cross section and ontransverse lines near their ends to constitute ears.

2. As a new article of manufacture, two elongated members which cross at their mid portions and a bridging piece uniting said members where they cross and formed integrally therewith out of a piece of sheet metal, there being transverse slits margining the bridging piece to bring said members closer together, said members being bent along longitudinal lines to make them angular in cross section.

3. As a new article of manufacture, two elongatedmembers which cross at their mid portions and a bridging piece uniting said members where they cross and formed integrally therewith out of a piece of sheet to make them an ular in cross section and C) on transverse lines at ends thereof to form ears, the device being transversely slitted along said bridging piece to bring said members closer together.

5. As a new article of manufacture, two

elongated members and a bridging piece uniting said members and integrally formed therewith out of a piece of sheet metal, said members being bent along longitudinal lines to make them angular in cross section, the device being transversely slitted along said bridging piece to bring said members closer together.

(5. As a new article'of manufacture, two elongated members and a bridging piece unitin said members and integrally formed therewith out of a. piece of sheet metal, the device being transversely slitted along said bridging piece to bring said members closer together.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name/this 2nd day of December, A. D. 1922.

VILLIAM G. BURRELL. 

